Narcissus and the Ladybug
by The Moxie Fox
Summary: Felix, Adrien's cousin, comes to stay for the summer. Adrien is excited to introduce him to all his friends. The girls all think he's even hotter than Adrien and totally gush over him, save Marinette who can't believe how fickle her fellow females are. She still only has eyes for Adrien. But when Felix lays eyes on Marinette, he vows to make her fall for him. Jealous Adrien fluff!
1. Disillusionment

Felix is steaming.

He is in a chauffeured car, on his way to Paris, or more specifically, the Agreste mansion.

How could his parents force this on him? Let alone wait until the last second to spring it on him?

It was completely and utterly outrageous.

He was 17 now, almost an adult. Shouldn't he have a say in where he gets to spend his summer vacation?

If he he'd had a choice, it would have been pretty much anywhere _but_ here.

He lets out a long sigh and looks dejectedly out the window at the scrolling idyllic landscape of the French countryside.

Man was he going to miss this amidst the bustle and noise and ugly grey of Paris' city streets.

He fiddles with the door lock and briefly contemplates flinging himself out and running off into the sunset.

But then he would tarnish his clothes, and that would just piss him off.

With a frustrated groan, he leans further into his seat and crosses his arms, waiting for the inevitable arrival.

He doesn't feel himself nod off, but jerks awake suddenly as his chin crashes onto his chest. He looks around, surprised to find the car is stopped outside of the Agreste estate.

"Oh great. Finally here," he mutters to himself. His driver shifts the car into park and quickly exits the vehicle, coming around to his door and opening it for him. Normally, the driver might greet his passenger and cheerily announce their arrival, but having spent long enough with Felix and his family to know their personalities, he opts to remain silent and stalwart instead.

Once Felix is outside the vehicle, his driver shuts the door firmly and brusquely rounds the car to the trunk, retrieving Felix's belongings. The driver leads the way up the stately entrance and knocks on the door. The door opens almost immediately and they are greeted by Gabriel's assistant, Natalie.

"You're five minutes late, Gabriel and Adrien are in the dining hall and expecting you. Best not to keep Mr. Agreste waiting any longer," she says curtly.

Felix fleetingly wonders if she's always like that or if it really bothers her that much that they arrived late. He nods farewell to his driver and heads in the direction that Natalie motions to.

"I'll show you to his quarters so you may deposit his luggage." He listens to Natalie and his driver walk up the huge staircase as he pauses at the dining room entrance. He takes an exaggerated breath and pushes the door wide open.

A delicious smell wafts over to him as soon as he enters the room. He sees Gabriel and Adrien sitting at opposite ends of a massive, grand dining table. Gabriel looks like he'd rather be anywhere but there. ' _Good, someone who shares my feelings_ ,' he thinks bitterly to himself. Adrien looks miserable and alone for a fraction of a second, until he registers that Felix is there and his entire demeanor lights up.

"FELIX! You finally made it! I'm so glad to see you!" Adrien looks like he's itching to leap out of his seat and squeeze Felix in a bear hug, but he doesn't. He merely stands up in sync with his father, in a polite gesture of respect.

"It's a pleasure to have you with us, Felix," Gabriel says unemotionally.  
It dawns on Felix that this is his first time being with them since the disappearance of his Aunt Emilie. He assumes this is the cause of Gabriel's cold and unwelcoming presence.

"Glad to be here," he replies in an equally flat tone.

Gabriel gestures to an empty seat in the middle of the side of the table, asking Felix to have a seat without saying a word. It strikes him that he's very similar to his Uncle. He crosses the room swiftly and takes his place at the table. Gabriel claps his hands and instantly a servant emerges from a side door, pushing a service tray containing three silver domed platters. He places one in front of each of the men, removing the lids as he does so, and explains in great detail the crispy roast duck with truffle mushroom risotto, sauteed broccoli rabe, and side of cauliflower bee pollen soup. It is obvious he's very proud of the meal he has hand crafted.

The meal is exquisite, but Felix doesn't acknowledge it as he's used to this sort of meal on a daily basis at home. He assumes it is much the same here.

The meal is consumed in complete and utter silence. Some may find it uncomfortable, but it is how Felix prefers it. Trying to enjoy your meal while someone is attempting to converse and force you to talk more and eat less is, simply put, annoying.

Once he has finished eating, he wipes his mouth, pushes away from the table and stands with his palms flat on the surface. He looks directly at Gabriel and thanks him for the meal, asking if he may be excused to go settle into his summer living quarters. Gabriel nods tersely and Felix abruptly makes an exit.

Footsteps race quickly after him and he clenches his jaw.

"How cool is it that you get to spend the whole summer here? I'll really enjoy having you around! I could use the company!" Adrien chirps animatedly.

Felix gives him an imploring look, hoping that's enough to convey his feelings about having to spend his summer with Adrien, but he clearly doesn't notice. Can he really be that dense? Felix frowns at this thought. That would make the summer very long and highly unpleasant indeed.

"...so let's go get you unpacked and settled in!" Adrien finishes and Felix realizes Adrien was talking the entire time and he has no idea what he had been saying. He didn't really care anyways. He followed Adrien to his temporary dwelling in silence.

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys! I'm back! Surely you all want me to keep working on _Spinning_ , but this idea was niggling the back of my mind and honestly, I'm drawing a bit of writer's block on _Spinning_ right now, so I hoped a change of pace would help me develop more ideas for it! I hope you enjoy this little _Miraculous_ AU fic! I'm not sure at the moment how long it will be, but probably only ten chapters or less. Something not too intense. Thanks for dropping by! My readers mean the world to me! You're the reason I write!  
**


	2. Hoodwinked

The following morning, Felix woke up bright in early, in the hopes of having breakfast alone, unfettered by menial conversation with either his cousin or uncle. It wasn't that he disliked Adrien. Actually, they had gotten along wonderfully as children and often played together while their parents discussed business matters. Felix's father was the brother of Emilie Agreste, and it was acutely obvious in both their physical appearance and mannerisms. Both were involved in the cinema industry and both were blondes with striking green eyes. They were often mistaken for twins due to the intensity of their likeness.  
No, it wasn't at all a dislike for Adrien that roused Felix early this morning. It was simply a desire to be left alone. As he aged, he realized that somewhere along the way he had started to like people in general less and less. Dealing with them was quite the headache and it was much easier to stay focused and happy when he only worried about himself and did not get involved in others problems.

So it was much to his dismay when he waltzed in to the dining hall to find Adrien sitting there at the table, looking as though he had been waiting for him.

"Hi Felix! So you're an early riser, huh? I couldn't sleep last night, besides my father keeps me on such a tight schedule that I never get the chance to sleep in anyways, no matter how much I might need it!" Adrien grinned warmly.

Apparently avoiding him all summer wasn't going to be a viable plan.  
Maybe eventually he'd grow tired of trying to converse with Felix. Well, he could hope at least.

"So, would you like a tour of the city? Father gave me permission to give you a walking tour, if you're interested!"

"Actually no, I should probably practice cello. I'm working on an original piece for my senior project." Felix states soberly.

"Oh, come on! It's the first week of summer vacation! There's got to be somewhere in Paris you want to visit!" Adrien implores.

"You do realize this isn't my first, second, third or even tenth visit to the city, right?" Felix stares.

"Well I know but you don't live here, and it would be nice to get out and enjoy some fresh air before the heat of summer really kicks in! Are you absolutely certain there's nothing you forgot at home?" Adrien entreats.

Felix is silent for a moment, realizing that he's probably fighting a losing battle, and it's really more hassle resisting then it would be to just appease the poor boy. He sighs dejectedly. "Actually, I would like to stop at either one of your father's _Gabriel_ shops or the nearest _MODE_. I've looked through the outfits my retainer Adalicia packed for me and am appalled by some of her selections for neckties. I would like to go and pick up a few."

Adrien looks ecstatic. "Yes! This will be awesome, you won't regret it!"

"I won't so long as we come back straight after. I don't care for meaningless excursions."

"O-of course not! Just straight there and back, no funny business. I promise!" Adrien waves his hands meekly in front of himself.

Adrien picks up his phone and begins typing feverishly, suspiciously on it. "Just texting my father to let him know we're heading out!" he grinned innocently.

* * *

They set off in the direction of the shops. The quickest route was to head directly through the center of Parc Monceau. Adrien led the way as Felix walked brusquely to his left and slightly behind. Adrien was chatting up a storm, trying to get Felix interested in _something_ so that he could figure out more of his likes and dislikes, but so far all Adrien could gather was that he seemed to dislike talking. A lot.

As they neared the center of the park, Adrien caught sight of Nino and the rest of his classmates and waved cheerily.

"Hey! Nino! What's up man? What brings you to the park today?" he asks naively, with a sideways glance at Felix, who doesn't seem to notice.  
Before Nino can answer, the entirety of Madame Bustier's class comes rushing over to greet them.

Chloe is the first to shove her way forward to be heard. "Felix, hi! I'm Chloe Bourgeois, the daughter of Mayor Bourgeois. I'm sure you've heard of me. Adrien has told me so much about you! Is it true your dad is the famous director, Louis Dubois and that you starred in some of his films when you were younger? I can't believe Adrien hasn't introduced you to me sooner! It's hard to believe that you're even more attractive then he is!" she gushed.

A chorus of murmured agreements resounded through the group of students.

Felix frowned. From the corner of his eye he thought he caught Adrien blushing, probably out of jealousy. He was used to this sort of thing. Girls falling all over themselves to get a chance to speak to him, boys around him getting jealous, bitter and even angry over their reactions.  
It was just one of the many reasons why he avoided people. His good looks made everything complicated in a way he just couldn't handle.

As the onslaught of attention continued, Felix spotted Adrien rubbing his neck and grinning sheepishly, apologetically.

"Sorry cousin. I was just really anxious for you to meet all my friends, but this is a lot more hectic then I expected!"

So, he had planned this all along.

* * *

 **AN: So I just saw the Incredibles 2 today so it was fresh on my mind and I couldn't resist throwing a little Easter Egg in there ;)  
** **I cannot believe how much attention this fic has gotten in just 24 hours! Hopefully I didn't disappoint with this second chapter!**


	3. Resolved

As the horde of students continued to swarm around him and bombard him with personal questions that he was doing his best to tactfully avoid answering, his bored gaze wandered out over the students, studying each of them.

His eyes passed over two girls in the back of the crowd and lingered. There was a bespectacled brunette standing on tip toes trying to get a better look at him, phone raised and pointed in his direction, while nodding distractedly at whatever her friend was saying.

The girl beside her was a bit shorter with blue-black hair pulled back into pigtails. She was cute, but not remarkable in any way. But for some reason, his attention was drawn specifically to her. She stood out starkly. She was the only person in the group not staring at him. Her lovesick gaze was fixated on Adrien. Felix could swear there were visible hearts in her eyes. He felt something in his chest that he was unfamiliar with.  
He began talking loudly about a movie he recently appeared in for his father, hoping to capture the attention of the raven-haired girl. After the squealing of the other girls became unbearable, and it was apparent the girl was not going to give him the time of day from back here, he decided he needed to speak with them at once, hoping that would cause the feeling to go away, whatever it was.

"Oh my gosh, he's coming over here!" he heard the brunette exclaim.  
He strode right up in front of them and confidently shook the brunette's hand. "Hi there. I'm Felix, as you've probably gathered. I'm cousins with Adrien."

"I'm Alya, it's a pleasure to meet you! Do you mind if I ask you some questions for my blog? I love interviewing celebrities and especially finding out how they feel about Ladybug and Cat Noir! I recently interviewed Lila Rossi. Have you two met? She's also a famous actress..." Felix's eyes bugged slightly at the torrent of questions this girl was dumping on him. He turned his attention toward the other girl. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"  
She glanced up at him and smiled warmly. "Oh, sorry! I'm Marinette! It's a pleasure to meet you, Felix! So, you're cousins with _Adrien_?" Her eyes drifted dreamily back to his cousin when she spoke his name. He could practically hear the desire dripping off his name when she said it. It was clear this girl had a crush on Adrien. And she had it _bad_.  
Felix was starting to feel irrationally angry that she was so obviously gushing over Adrien while talking to him.  
But why did he care so much? There was literally nothing outstanding about her except that she seemed to be immune to his charms. He was becoming very irritated with this Marinette and the burning she was causing to bubble up in his chest like hot lava. _What the hell was this feeling? Was it just poorly timed heartburn or acid reflux? That didn't make any sense, he'd been sticking to his wholesome, healthy diet flawlessly.  
_ Obviously it was something else, and Felix had the strange feeling that if he could get this girl to obsess over him like everyone else, then his intrigue in her would wane.

And he wanted nothing more than to stop this awful burning in his chest. With that, he decided he needed to win her affections.  
It should be simple enough. He'd never met a girl that could resist him before. He highly doubted this one would prove to be an exception.

* * *

When they were finally able to break free of the throng and return to the mansion, Felix sat down on Adrien's couch to begin extracting information on Marinette.  
"So, tell me about your friend Maryanne. The one with the pigtails." He tried his best to sound nonchalant. He didn't want Adrien to get any ideas about what was really going on.  
"Oh you mean Marinette? She's the best. She's a very good friend!" Adrien sighed. That was a little hard to read, but it seemed to Felix like Adrien was harboring some feelings deep down that he didn't even realize existed.  
"Just a good friend, huh? So what types of things is she interested in?" Felix asked, hoping to be conveying friendly interest rather than the obsessiveness he was feeling.

"Marinette is passionate about fashion, she's a very talented designer. She is fiercely loyal to her friends and the sweetest person I know!" Adrien got a far off look on his face, that if Felix didn't know better would like an awful lot like daydreaming. Then suddenly his expression sobered and he trained his eyes on Felix with a sudden intensity.  
"Why are you asking so many questions about Marinette? This is the most you've spoken to me since you arrived."

Felix began to pale before quickly regaining his composure. "Well that's simple. Everyone else was eager to talk to me and tell me all about themselves, but Marinette seemed painfully shy, so she's your only friend that I didn't get the chance to learn anything about." He made an attempt at a reassuring smile and prayed it was convincing enough.

Adrien's face relaxed into an easy smile and he nodded his head, satisfied. "Yeah she is pretty shy, even around me and she was my first real friend at school. It's really too bad, because she's so awesome when she lets her walls down."

Felix became lost in thought. How could he win her affections while she was so thoroughly absorbed with Adrien? And why did he feel like he needed to steal this girl away from his cousin? It was apparent now that Adrien was attracted to her, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. It disarmed him slightly to realize he didn't care. He just knew he needed to be admired by **all** the girls of Paris. He would make her fall hard for him. He had yet to meet a girl that could resist his charms, and this one would be no exception.

* * *

AN: Felix is severely underestimating Marinette's love and devotion for Adrien, don't ya think? I mean c'mon, she has his entire schedule mapped out on a huge poster in her room! :'D


	4. Rejected

**AN: Wow! Nearly 60 follows in less than 2 days! You guys are crazy awesome! Hope you enjoy this longer chapter!**

* * *

Back at the park, after Felix and Adrien made a hasty exit, the class was still buzzing about the meet and greet with the out-of-towner.

"Can you believe we got to meet the son of Louis Dubois? And that he's Adrien's cousin?!" Nino said in aw.

"Yeah, and he was totally in to me. I can tell these things," Chloe smirked.

"His grey eyes were so dreamy!" Rose sighed.

"Yeah, he was pretty cute," Juleka added quietly.

"He's totally hot," Alix interjected, causing everyone to roar with laughter.

Even Mylene seemed aw-struck. "He was really attractive," she noted. Ivan grumbled at her remark and practically growled "No one should be allowed to look that good. That's hardly fair for the rest of us!"

"I hope he gives me an exclusive interview! That would be the absolute best! He doesn't live here in Paris, do you think he even knows who Ladybug and Cat Noir are? How crazy would that be if he didn't?!" Alya buzzed.

Marinette couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could everyone just brush Adrien aside like that and obsess so much over his cousin? Sure, Felix was a tall, good looking guy, but he still wasn't half as handsome as Adrien! It was eating her alive! She couldn't contain herself anymore!

"You're all crazy! Felix might be attractive but Adrien is Paris' hottest super model! He's _gorgeous_ and he will always be the best!"

Silence. Everyone was so stunned by Marinette's outburst they didn't know how to react. Suddenly, everyone burst out laughing.

"Well Marinette, if anyone was unsure how you felt about Adrien before, I'm pretty sure all of Paris knows now!" Nino said chuckling, wiping a tear from his eye.

Marinette's cheeks flushed a deep scarlet. "Oh, look at the time, my parents need me in the bakery! Gotta go, bye!" she yelled hurriedly as she turned tail and ran fast as she could out of the park. Everyone burst into laughter again.

"Man, how can Adrien be so clueless about that girl's feelings? She's not exactly subtle!" Kim chortled.

"I'd probably better go check on her. I'll see you later, Nino. Thanks for planning this with Adrien so we could all meet Felix!" Alya quickly kissed Nino on the cheek and hurried after her flustered friend.

* * *

Felix ran over the plan one more time in his room, just for good measure. He wanted this to be perfect. He had learned from Adrien that Marinette often helped out in her parent's bakery, and also that she was rather clumsy.  
His plan was simple. He would go the bakery, catch her working, disarm her with his charm and good looks, she'd trip and spill some flour on herself or something, he would catch her before she could fall completely to the floor and she would turn into a pile of goo at his act of heroism and he'd finally stop obsessing over her and could move on with his life.

He sneaked out of the mansion, careful to avoid certain steps he had already learned were creaky. Silently he opened the front door, took one quick look around the grand entrance, and, when he was satisfied that no one had seen him, gently closed the door and hurried in a sprint down the four blocks to the Dupain Bakery.

After two blocks he realized that Adrien was slinking along behind him, doing his best to remain hidden. Geez, that kid needed to work on his stealth. Felix decided to just pretend like he hadn't noticed he was being followed. It didn't matter anyways. The encounter with Marinette would all just look like an accident to any onlookers after all. Pure happenstance. At least, that was the plan.

But nothing could ever seem to go according to plan for Felix.

He pushed open the door to the bakery, dismayed to find her mother working the counter with no sign of Marinette. He hadn't planned on having to make small talk with her parents. Trying to sneak in a way to casually get her mother to retrieve Marinette was not going to be easy. He never had been good in social situations. He just did his best to mimic basic human emotions to put others at ease and believe he was normal.

Her mother's eyes turned up towards the door when she heard the tinkling of the bell. When they took in Felix's appearance, they completely lit up. He thought they looked very much like Marinette's when she smiled at him. "Hello! Welcome to our family bakery! I'm so sorry, but you'll have to excuse me for just a moment!"

With that, she disappeared through a back door, leaving him alone in the shop. He was perplexed. Why had she just vanished like that? He wasn't sure what to do, or how long he should wait there. He decided to act natural and peruse the baked goods in the brightly lit display cases. Her parents were obviously talented. Everything looked exquisite and delicious. A loud clattering noise came from behind the door and suddenly a very ruffled, breathless Marinette burst into the shop.

Felix flashed her his best gigawatt smile and she returned it warmly, quickly regaining her composure. "Hi! Felix, right? What a coincidence! What brings you in today?"

He appraised her briefly before nodding slightly to himself. "I was just out for a walk and I smelled the bakery and just couldn't resist! Is everything alright? You seemed..."  
Marinette began speaking before he could finish his thought. "Oh! I'm fine! Everything is fine, I was just expecting Aaaa-friend! Yeah. My mom confused me when she told me who was in the bakery, that's all!" she grinned toothily at him, a light dusting of pink edging onto her cheeks.

Movement caught the corner of Felix's eye and he turned ever so slightly to see Adrien peeking through the window, attempting to stay hidden behind a planter. He really hadn't wanted an audience for this. He wasn't trying to hurt his cousin's feelings, just fix his own weird feelings. He turned his attention back to Marinette before she could notice he was distracted.

"Well, what would you recommend?" Felix asked her, as cheerfully as he could muster.

"Hm, let's see. Well the macarons are my dad's best seller and pretty much world renowned. The pain au chocolate is good if you're looking for something a little more breakfast-y since it's still early. Umm..." she continued pointing to different pastries and rambling off about them. His eyes scanned the room, looking for something he could distract her with.

"What is this photo over here?" he asked, pointing to a photograph of her father and what looked to be the Mayor.

"Oh! That's my dad and Mayor Bourgeois, Chloe's dad." Marinette said with a slight hint of venom edging into her voice at the mention of Chloe. "It's from the day the bakery opened. The dedication ceremony. My dad is so sentimental, he even kept the scissors from the ribbon cutting! You know, the giant ones! Here, let me show them to you!" Marinette turned quickly on her heel and promptly lost her balance.

This was the opening he'd been waiting for. He stretched lithely and caught her in his left arm, pulling her in closely and protectively to his chest. She blinked up at him and he smiled a half, crooked smile. "Careful Princess. We wouldn't want anything to happen to that pretty face of yours." As he spoke, he lifted his fingers to her face and brushed them lightly against her cheek, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She seemed dazed, unable to speak.

 _Good_ ,' he thought to himself. His plan was going perfectly and he was almost rid of this annoyance. Her face suddenly flushed a deep scarlet and her brow furrowed.

"What are you doing?! Who do you think you are?! Coming in here and invading my personal space and whispering to me like...like...I'm someone you're _intimate_ with! Calling me _princess_! You don't even know me! I don't even know _you_! Besides, I really like someone else!" she pushed away from him and stormed off, yelling over her shoulder, "I'll have my dad finish taking your order!" and with that, she was gone.

Felix looked back to the window and saw Adrien clutching his side, laughing. He looked up and his eyes bugged out as he caught Felix scowling at him and blushed. Felix stormed out of the bakery.

"What were you doing, following me like that?" Felix demanded.

"I just had to see where you were sneaking off to! You were so determined to not be seen. Besides, I had to know what your intentions were with Marinette. She's my friend and..." he trailed off and looked away demurely.

Okay. Really, how does he not realize his own feelings for her? What was with all this 'just friends' nonsense? Or did he actually recognize his feelings for Marinette and worry she didn't like him in return? These two were perplexing.

Felix wasn't sure what to do next. He thought for sure that this little encounter would make the scorching in his chest stop, but when she pushed him away it had only intensified. And he couldn't deny the fact that the pink burning across her cheeks affected him. Dare he say it was completely adorable?

What the heck was wrong with him?! So many girls had thrown themselves at him, many of them more attractive than Marinette. Models and actresses alike. So why was this simple baker's daughter having this influence over him?

He had to get to the bottom of this. He needed a new plan. Obviously he came on too strongly at first. He headed back towards the mansion in silence, contemplating his next move, with Adrien sullenly at his heels like a kitten someone had kicked into the gutter.


	5. Revealed

**AN: Sorry for the delay guys! I had to travel across the country for my maternal grandmother's funeral. She passed away a couple of weeks ago and she had a pretty special relationship with all her grandkids, so it really effected me.**

 **Also this story has given me some serious writer's block. It took a while for me to decide what direction I wanted to go next. Hope this doesn't disappoint! Enjoy!**

 **Side note: I wanted Felix to have a pet name for Marinette, and while writing this chapter, a new idea came to mind, so I've changed 'darling' from last chapter to Princess. Anyways, read on!**

* * *

Marinette paced her room, trying to wrap her head around what just happened.

"Why did he call me Princess? Cat always calls Marinette that, but Felix couldn't possibly be Cat, could he? He doesn't live in Paris, right? At least, that's what everyone says, but I guess we don't actually know, right? And I think he's slightly too tall to be Cat, but maybe the suit alters that perception somehow and he definitely came in here acting all flirty and _exactly_ like Cat, and calling me Princess on top of it! Ugh, what do you think, Tikki?"

"I think that deep down you know the answer in your heart," Tikki said evasively.

"Oh, Tikki, can't you give me a clue or something?" Marinette's eyes sparked with a memory. "You saw Cat's true identity when we were facing Dark Owl! Can't you just let me know if I'm right or wrong? Please?!" she begged.

"I'm sorry Marinette, I really can't. You of all people know how important your secret identities are. I would never betray Cat's trust and neither should you."

"Ugh. You're right. I know that. I just _really_ need an explanation for Felix's behavior, because that's the only thing that makes sense! And that's crazy!"

"It's possible that maybe he just likes you. You are a very pretty girl!" Tikki smiled at her Chosen.

"Thanks Tikki. Maybe I should just go talk to him and see if I can get some answers. Worrying about it isn't going to help."

"That's my girl!" Tikki chirped.

* * *

Felix scribbled furiously on his paper, then stopped and scratched his chin. He made an annoyed sound in his throat and crossed out what he wrote. After writing another paragraph, he groaned angrily and crumpled up his paper and threw it aside. He barely moved when a small knock fell upon his door.

"It's open," he replied curtly.

Adrien gingerly entered the room and absorbed the scene within. Crumpled paper balls were strewn around the usually tidy floor. He didn't think his cousin possessed the ability of being sloppy.

"Uh..what are you doing?" Adrien asked tentatively.

"Planning," Felix replied shortly.

The room was silent for a moment, aside from the scratching of Felix's pencil across the page beneath his hand.

"So...what were you doing at the bakery today?" Adrien finally asked.

"It's not really any business of yours," Felix answered tersely.

Another silent pause.

"Well, I mean, I think it's kind of my business. Marinette is a very good friend and I care deeply about her well-being and I-" Felix cut Adrien off.

"You know, you use that phrase a lot. 'A very good friend.' It makes me wonder if you actually know the definition of the word 'friend.'"

Adrien looked taken aback. "Of course I know the definition of 'friend.' It's one of the first words most people learn! I'd be surprised if you actually knew the definition, seeing as you don't truly have any!" A pit dropped in Adrien's stomach. He instantly regretted opening his mouth, wishing he could snatch those words back. But Felix didn't skip a beat. He didn't even seem to notice as he continued the conversation with his usual air of cool and casual calm.

"That's true, I don't have any friends, which is precisely why I wanted to befriend Miss Dupain-Cheng. Her demeanor was so open, so warm, and with how highly you praised her, she seemed like a really safe choice for a _first friend_." Felix emphasized the last two words, hoping to spark a revelation for Adrien, but, alas, the boy still remained completely clueless.

This honesty from Felix was very unexpected and only served to make Adrien feel even worse about his comment. "Sorry Felix, I didn't know. I just thought..." Adrien trailed off in thought for a moment. "Well why were you holding her when I peeked in the window? It looked like you were about to kiss her, and the way she ran off really made it seem that way."

"You remember who we're talking about right? This is Marinette. You told me yourself about how clumsy she is. She slipped and almost fell, but I caught her before she hit the floor. She was so mortified that she ran out of the room, seemingly too embarrassed to face me any longer after the ordeal." Felix shrugged, nonplussed.

"Oh. Yeah, that does sound just like Marinette." Adrien tilted his head down in thought and held his chin between his fingers. Then he looked up and added, "You know, Felix, I would gladly you be your friend, too, if you wanted. Nothing would make me happier. I'm here if you ever want to talk." Adrien gave a small, sad smile before turning and walking out, softly shutting the door behind him.

' _Great. Now Adrien thinks I specifically want to be friends with Marinette and **not** him. I don't want to be **anybody's** friend, but I don't want him thinking I'm purposely excluding him. I better get this nonsense over with before he **really** starts taking this to heart._' Felix turned his attention back to the piece of paper on the desk before him.

Frustrated, he pushed the paper away. None of this was going to work.

Marinette was a simple girl. He needed a simple plan.

* * *

Marinette was on her way to Agreste Manor with all intentions of confronting Felix for answers. Halfway there, she changed her mind and started back towards home.  
Then, with new resolve, turned back around. She repeated this action half a dozen times more before her decision was made up for her. Someone screaming followed by the sound of a building crashing down alerted her to the onset of a new akuma attack.

She looked determinedly around, spotted a small back alley behind a little cafe, and darted in there to transform. Ladybug shot up and out of the alley towards the onslaught.

* * *

Felix couldn't believe his eyes. He had heard tales of Paris' two Miraculous holders before his visit, but didn't know much about them. However, it had only taken him three days in the Agreste household to figure out Adrien's secret. The kid wasn't exactly discreet. Adrien had already randomly disappeared during 3 separate akuma attacks, claiming every time that he just had to go fanboy over Ladybug. Felix happened to be outside in the courtyard when Cat Noir leapt out of Adrien's room on this particular occasion. A furtive peek into Adrien's room revealed the teen was no longer there. Leaving the door cracked and waiting outside his own door in the hall, Felix heard Adrien's return and the muttered "Plagg, claws in" along with a whooshing sound. Yep, that boy definitely needed to work on his discretion. Felix vaguely wondered how many other people had already figured out Adrien's secret.

Up until today, he still didn't know much about Cat Noir's other half, but there was no denying that this was _The_ Ladybug, swinging out of the alley Marinette had just ducked into. He took a quick glance around the passageway just to be certain she wasn't hiding in there, but common sense told him she wasn't.  
He had really been wrong about her.

This girl was far from simple.

He leaned back against the rough brick wall and rubbed his hand across his forehead. This could not be happening. Seriously, how star-crossed could two people be? Forget Catherine and Heathcliff, Romeo and Juliet, even Jack and Rose had nothing on this. How could a boy and a girl, seemingly so in love, be completely blind to what was right before their eyes?

 _'Ugh. I think I'm finally starting to understand this annoying nagging in my chest,'_ Felix thought to himself. _'It appears I do still have a heart in there, somewhere,'_ he grimaced.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, so I'm still not entirely sure where I'm going with this story. I'm not even sure I'm happy with how it is, but I still feel like this is _good_ writing that I don't want to just completely discard, so yeah, I'm going with it. I'm trying to make this fic mostly from Felix's POV, but for some scenes, like in Marinette's room at the beginning of this chapter, where Felix obviously isn't there, I need to show it from another perspective. I hope everyone likes this update! **

**As always, thanks so much for all your reviews and reads, and please, if you have any ideas or ways for me to make this better, do not hesitate to share them with me! Kisses!**


	6. Deception

**AN: Firstly, this chapter does contain some spoilers to Gorizilla, although it doesn't exactly fit with the continuity of the episode. I hope you'll forgive my minor alteration!**

 **Next, some quick responses to some of my "recent" reviewers!**

 **Rose Tiger - I took your advice and have been working on my spacing. Please let me know if it looks better and easier on the eyes! I even went back and edited the previous chapters for legibility. Hope it helped!**

 **Melllama - Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you've been enjoying it! I know the fandom calls him Chat, and the more I read fanfics the more I feel I should have called him 'Chat' here but I watch the show in English, I know him as Cat Noir and so that's what I am used to. It feels weird to me to call him Chat, but like I said, the more I read the more I feel like I chose wrong but as this story is about halfway over I'm not going to change it now lol. My future stories may refer to him as Chat though!**

 **Glimare - you definitely hit on some ideas I have in mind/am tossing around, or at least you're dancing around them. Finally here is a new chapter! I hope this story continues to delight you!**

 **PleaseDontJudgeMeTooLate - Thanks! I love that line, too! :D**

 **A humongous special thank you to all of you that have read, favorited and followed this story! You guys are the reason I write and your continued interest really boosts my mood! I literally just love reading your reviews!**

 **And finally, I know it's been nearly six months since I last updated. I am so so SO sososososo sorry! I really have no excuse good enough for that. But, as a Christmas present to all of you, I give you the next chapter (much longer than previous chapters!), and hopefully the rest of the story! I've got 2 more chapters written after this that just need editing, and I'm working on the last one or two chapters to close out the story. Thanks for hanging in here with me so long! I know the next chapter is what you really care about, so here it finally is!**

* * *

Chapter 6 - Deception

* * *

Chasing after the quickly retreating red blur, Felix's mind raced. This was really an awful lot to take in.  
He began to fear he was losing her as she quickly became a red speck in the distance, but the screams and sounds of destruction were growing louder, so he knew he was at least headed in the right direction. He didn't even really know what exactly he planned to do once he got on the scene, but he didn't dwell on that too much. His primary focus was getting there. He raced as fast as he was comfortable running in his Bottega Veneta lace ups.

In front of him, the top corner of a building crumbled and fell to the ground and he dodged into a nearby alcove to analyze the scene from a safe distance. His eyes nearly bugged out of his skull when they landed on a giant blue gorilla atop a building, pounding its chest and roaring. If that wasn't crazy enough, the monstrous beast was clutching Adrien in his right hand! What was happening? Why wasn't Adrien transformed into Cat Noir? He could get hurt! Felix's worry for his cousin's safety quickly pushed all other thoughts from his mind. He furiously scanned the area for something, anything, that he could use to help. Then suddenly, the huge ape dropped Adrien. He was falling, fast. At any moment Felix was about to see his cousin splat onto the sidewalk before his very eyes.

He began to silently plead with his kin. _'Transform Adrien, please! C'mon Adrien!'_

He was nearly at the ground and Felix didn't think he could watch anymore. He was just about to squeeze his eyes shut when a flash of red connected with Adrien and brought him safely to the ground amidst a crowd of cheering citizens. Felix released a huge breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding. He broke into a smile and raced towards the Eiffel Tower, following Ladybug as she swung Adrien to safety.  
Marinette was truly a sight to behold in the red suit. All her shy, uncertain behavior completely melted away and left behind a woman who was fierce and bold.

He was nearing the tower when he caught sight of Cat Noir using his cataclysm to drop the akuma into the subway below.  
He had to admit, seeing his cousin battle like that was incredibly thrilling. He was definitely impressed, despite the many times Adrien got too cocky and was knocked down by their foe.

"This is Cat Noir Express Deliveries. Did you order a giant beast, M'Lady?" Felix heard Adrien say to Ladybug on his communicator. Before he knew what was happening, Ladybug appeared at Cat Noir's side as the huge gorilla dissipated in a purple cloud of smoke leaving, who Felix recognized as Adrien's bodyguard, sitting in his place.

"Pound it!" Felix saw Ladybug and Cat Noir bump fists before Ladybug ran off.

He followed her discreetly and crept slowly down an alley he'd seen her duck into. Marinette rushed out, no longer dressed in red, and slammed directly into him.

"F-Felix? What are you - why are you - ?" the question fell off, unfinished, as she struggled to gather her thoughts.

"I'm sorry Princess, I just simply couldn't continue this game of _cat_ and mouse any longer."

He took her hand into his and bent dramatically to kiss the back of it.

" _Kitty_?" Marinette asked, disbelief lacing the question. "How is that even possible?"

"Yes M'Lady, it is I. Your knight in shining leather, at your service." He inwardly flinched at his cheesy prepared speech. He didn't want to admit to himself that he'd watched videos of his cousin as Cat Noir on the brunette girl's blog.

Marinette's eyes flicked around Felix's face, as if trying to visualize the mask obscuring his features. Then, her eyes darkened and she slammed her fist into his upper arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" he demanded, wincing in surprise at her strength.

"What's that for?! I'll tell you what that's for! You know how important our secret identities are! You know how important _keeping_ them secret is to me! Why would you think it was suddenly okay to follow me and find out my identity and reveal yourself to me? Are you stupid? Did you leave your brain at home? Are you trying to get us both killed?! And how are you even Cat Noir? You don't even live in Paris! And another thing ..." Felix watched with increasing agitation as this girl just rambled on and on, growing ever angrier with each passing second.

 _'Okaaay, clearly this was a mistake. How do I dig my way out of this one?'_ Felix wondered, eyes wide and locked onto Marinette, worried that at any given moment her head might explode.

"And why don't you say anything? _Cat got your tongue?_ " she snapped.

"Ooh, clever one _Bugaboo_." Felix was starting to feel nauseated from all these disgusting puns and nicknames.

Pretending to be Adrien wasn't too difficult. They'd often been told they would sound exactly alike if Adrien also spoke in monotone. Therefore in order to sound like Adrien, all Felix had to do was add lots of inflection and bubbling enthusiasm. Which really did make him want to vomit.

"Say, now that we know our true identities, why don't we go somewhere quiet and get to know each other better?" Felix implored with a wink. "I bet you've got loads of questions for me. I know I have plenty for you."

After a brief pause, Marinette spoke. "Well since you brought it up, yeah, I do have quite a few," she said, raising her thumb and forefinger to her chin.

"Sure thing, ask me anything," Felix said with a grin. They set off down the street in the direction of Esplanade des Invalides.

" _Wow, I can't believe this is so easy. I thought she might be a little skeptical but she really doesn't suspect a thing. This'll be settled in no time,_ " Felix thought happily to himself.

But of course, nothing ever goes smoothly for Felix. He was soon to be reminded of this once again.

"So where do you really live? There's no way you rush here from Montpellier every time there's an akuma. The suit doesn't make us have superhuman speed, after all." Marinette asked smartly.

"Of course not. The 16th Arrondissement," Felix replied simply. Technically, it wasn't a lie as they had a summer villa there.

Marinette froze in her tracks. " _Trocadéro?_ "

Felix nodded nonchalantly.

"Wow. Your dad really is a super successful director isn't he? Have I seen anything he's directed?" she asked earnestly.

"I mean probably. He directs all the big summer blockbusters, and in his 'free time' he directs independent artsy films, which are his true passion. He's had me in a few of them, along with Adrien's mother, my Aunt Emilie."

Felix cleared his throat. All this personal information was starting to make him feel uncomfortable, so he decided to shift the focus back to Marinette.

"What about you?"

"Huh? What about me?" Marinette asked, shaking her head. She had clearly been struggling to process this information.

"Where do you live?" Felix asked again.

"Oh! Above my parents bakery, the one you visited yesterday? The one you've visited me at on multiple occasions. On my balcony outside my room. But you knew that already, right?" she peaked an eyebrow at him and gave him a queer look.

"Right, of course. That was silly of me. See, I just forget that most people don't have multiple residences. I apologize," Felix held up his hands apologetically and flashed her a bright smile.

Seemingly convinced, Marinette continued her onslaught of questions.

"Why do you seem taller outside of costume then in? Must be some magic of the miraculous. And your eyes are grey. I was fully expecting them to be green, like they are in the suit. Albeit less cat-like. Speaking of cat-like, your miraculous ring is interesting, I didn't expect it to look so different when you were de-transformed, I figured it would look more like my earrings, a subdued version of the transformed miraculous. It really is strange, doesn't actually even look much like a miraculous at all!" Marinette grabbed his hand and pulled it closer to her face to get a better look at the ring and Felix quickly snatched it back, covering it with his other hand.

"Don't touch that!" he snapped, then quickly regained composure. "Sorry, it just, you know is habit, to be protective of the source of my power. I'm always afraid of people trying to steal it so I get overly defensive, you know what I mean?" he smiled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, like he'd seen Adrien do at least two dozen times already in the week he'd been there alone.

"Yeah...I get it," Marinette said, staring at Felix for a minute, mulling something over.

"Okay then, Felix. Last question," said Marinette, leaning in closer to Felix.

"Like I said, you can ask me anything," Felix replied, mirroring the inclination towards her body.

Marinette batted her lashes a few times, before slowly parting her lips. Felix couldn't help but glance down and stare at her shiny pink lips, puckered in just the right way, perfectly proportionate, soft and kissable looking even, and so close to him. Just begging to be kissed. They were mere inches apart. All he needed to do was lean in another five inches and close the distance between them and then..

"Explain to me what you have to gain by lying about being Cat Noir."

Felix instantly snapped back to reality. "What?"

The atmosphere between them chilled and Felix could sense a palpable tension. The air was suddenly thick and breathing became difficult.  
Lying came easy to Felix. He often did it to convince people he was normal, so they'd leave him alone. It was easier that way. But suddenly his mind was a blank slate. He didn't know what to do. How had she caught on? He'd thought she was buying into every lie she fed him. How could he not read her? Reading people was always simple. How had she tricked him so completely? He had to think of something, fast. He couldn't let her slip away now.

"What are you talking about, My Lady? Of course I'm Cat Noir! Why don't you believe me? You wound me deeply, Princess," he put a hand over his heart, acting as if her words caused him physical pain.

"Cut the act, I know you're not the real Cat Noir. I will give you credit where it is due, though. That was a pretty convincing performance. If I wasn't Ladybug, I probably would have believed you. But I **am** Ladybug and I've been Cat Noir's partner for the past year. We battle akumas together roughly once a week, sometimes more, which means that I've fought alongside him for an average of 52 battles. Side by side, reading each others movements and planning strategies and attack plans together. That kind of bond can't be replicated. I would know my partner **anywhere**. If I were to meet him outside of costume, I'd likely know it was him after just one conversation, because I know his voice and his body language. And you most definitely are not him and...wh-why are you laughing? Is something funny to you? I don't understand. I'm serious! Nothing I said is funny! Stop laughing!" Marinette whined, frustrated.

Felix couldn't help it. It had been a long time since he'd had a laugh this good. This was honestly too much. This girl was absolutely convinced that she knew without a doubt who her Cat Noir was and could sense it was him without his costume on. Yet all along she was crushing hard core on him and hadn't the slightest idea. It was just too much for poor Felix to handle. His sides were in stitches.

But he really was trying to compose himself. It was in poor taste to make such a scene in public.

When he could finally speak again, he stood up straight, wiped a stray tear from his cheek, and cleared his throat.

"Please forgive me. That was horribly rude of me. I just found something you said incredibly amusing and I couldn't control myself."

"What could I have possibly said that was _that_ funny? I don't understand!" Marinette gaped like a fish.

"Ah, nothing. Nevermind. It wouldn't make sense, it just reminded me of something funny that I heard before."

"Right. Okaaay then. So tell me, why did you pretend to be Cat Noir? I demand to know. Now!" Marinette crossed her arms and put on her best 'in control' face.

Time to settle this once and for all.

"Well, Princess," Felix began, as he grabbed Marinette at the elbow of her crossed arms and pulled her close to him. "The truth is, I just can't stop thinking about you. I was on my way to your bakery when I happened to see you duck into an alley and transform into Ladybug. I was hoping we could maybe share a kiss to celebrate your victory."

Felix stared intensely into her eyes and moved his free hand up to gently grip her chin in his fingers. He could feel her breath on his face. It smelled of mint and macarons. Not an altogether unpleasant scent. It could be much worse. He inched closer as she stayed still, frozen, in his grasp.

"Back off, Felix!" an all too familiar voice commanded from behind him.

"A-Adrien?" Marinette said weakly from beside Felix. "I-it's not what it looks like! I don't even like Felix, or even know Felix and I kiss didn't want you is not err...um...eh..." she trailed off dejectedly.

Felix almost felt bad for the poor girl. It must be hard to be that desperately in love with someone and for them to be absolutely, 100% oblivious to it.

"Adrien. Do you mind? Marinette and I were having a private moment here," Felix stated coolly.

"Knock it off. Can't you tell she's not interested? You've got girls fawning over you left and right, leave Marinette alone!" Adrien growled.

"And what if I don't want to 'knock it off'?" Felix asked, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Then I will make you," Adrien threatened.

"Stop it!"

Both boys snapped their attention to Marinette, surprised by her outburst.

"Please, quit it! This is all just a big misunderstanding! I don't want you guys to fight. Yo-you're family. Don't get into a fight over m-me. I'm not worth f-fighting over. Really. I...I need to get home anyways. I'm s-sorry about all of this."

Marinette quickly dashed away, but not fast enough. Adrien saw tears on her face before she could turn from view and disappear out of sight.

Adrien turned on Felix. "You made Marinette cry. What did you do to her? I swear I'm going to kill you!"

Adrien threw himself at Felix and gripped his shirt collar in both hands. Despite his best efforts, Felix once again burst into laughter.

Adrien's expression turned to disbelief. "Why are you laughing? What the heck is the matter with you!?"

"Ah, s-sorry. Th-this is far too much outward emotion for one day." Felix shook his head to regain his composure but continued chuckling softly.

Adrien, who was thoroughly confused at this point, slowly relaxed his grip on Felix's shirt.

"Felix, what is going on with you? Please tell me."

"I'm sorry Adrien." Felix sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair."I swear I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Felix locked eyes with Adrien. He could see the hurt and confusion there. For only the second time in his life, Felix felt deep remorse.

"Listen. I owe you an apology. Can we sit and talk about it?" Felix gestured to a park bench that was a few feet away from the hedge they were standing by.

Adrien hesitated for a moment, before nodding and taking a seat on the bench.

Felix sat on the bench beside him and was silent for just a few seconds, before explaining to Adrien how he felt when he met Marinette and noticed she had been the only person ignoring him. He explained how as the son of a director and a part time actor, that was unheard of and had probably been the cause of his obsession.

"I honestly don't even know myself why I was obsessed with gaining her affections. I'm not even attracted to her. Really, she's rather plain-looking." Felix saw Adrien stiffen when he said this, but he continued anyways. He'd started this, he needed to finish it once and for all.

"My behavior has been shameless. I really don't know why I've acted this way. It has never mattered to me what people thought about me, and really I wish most people would just ignore me the way Marinette did, so I honestly can't say what came over me. I truly am sorry. I hope that you can forgive me."

Felix finally braved a glance up at his cousin. For once, Adrien's features were unreadable. This was perplexing. He really hated it when people wore a mask. Oh, the irony.

After a beat of silence, Adrien finally relaxed his shoulders and offered Felix a small smile. "Thank you, for finally being honest with me. I'm not surprised that you felt that way about Marinette. She's a really special girl and not in the least bit ordinary. In fact, I really think she's rather extraordinary. Definitely a great friend."

Felix inwardly, and possibly outwardly, cringed when Adrien said the word 'friend'.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, since she's so extraordinary, why haven't you asked her out yet? Aren't you afraid that someone else will realize just how extraordinary she is and beat you to the punch? And for the love of all things holy, if you say she's just a really good friend one more time I will personally throw you into the Seine."

Adrien looked shocked, but then burst into laughter.

"Well, to be completely honest, I've got a huge crush on Ladybug. No, even that's not complete honesty. Truthfully, I'm in love with her. She's amazing and I've never met anyone like her."

Adrien became lost in thought again as he daydreamed of Ladybug and Felix would swear on his life that pink bubbles and sparkles began swirling around them. He blinked furiously and rubbed his eyes, but everything looked normal again. What the f-

"So you mean to say that you don't think Marinette is amazing like Ladybug?" Felix asked coyly.

"What? I never said that. Of course Marinette is amazing! I already told you that!" Adrien retorted.

"Okay. Let's look at the facts here. Marinette is in your class. You know her personally. You've said on multiple occasions how amazing she is. She is obtainable because you know her identity not to mention she's head over heels for you. So why not give her a shot?"

"Wait, what? Say that again." Adrien demanded.

"So why not give her a shot?" Felix repeated.

"No, not that. What do you mean 'head over heels' for me? You think Marinette _likes_ me?" Adrien laughed in disbelief. "You're definitely mistaken. You probably thought her shyness had something to do with that, but she's just nervous around me because our friendship had a really rocky start. You see, Chloe put gum in her seat and she saw me trying to get it off and mistakenly assumed I was putting it there and hated me for it, so it took a while for us to become friends and she's been timid around me ever since."

Felix crossed his left arm over his chest, placed his right elbow on his left hand and held his forehead with his right hand. Slowly, he trailed his hand down his face and rubbed his eyes while shaking his head. Good Lord the amount of ignorance at this point was threatening to strike him dead where he stood. This really was becoming taxing.

"Look, Adrien. I'm not sure if you know this, but I'm pretty good at reading people. I'm almost never wrong when it comes to human behavior and I can usually pick up on pretty subtle cues. Marinette is not in the _least bit_ subtle about how she feels about you. I'd wager most if not all of your classmates know how she feels and I honestly think you must be the world's most oblivious idiot to not see it, too. I'm telling you, this girl is in love with you. You should give her a chance. She might surprise you. I know she surprised me."

Felix reached his arms over his head and stretched deeply, reminding Adrien of a cat. The light glinted off the red stone on his black cat face ring. Adrien briefly wondered if Felix had it the last time they saw each other prior to his summer stay.

"Well," said Felix loudly, snapping Adrien from his thoughts. "I've filled my socializing quota for the rest of the year, so if you don't mind, I'm going to return to the house. I'm locking the doors behind me. I expect you to go get a date with your dream girl and not come back until you've succeeded."

Felix turned towards home and allowed himself one final smirk before settling his features back into his trained, emotionless guise.

* * *

 **Oh, dear readers. I really hope this chapter was worth the wait! Hit up that comment section and let me know what you think!  
Felix is definitely getting as fed up as the rest of us with Adrien 'Just a Friend' Agreste.  
** **And what's the deal with his cat ring anyways? :)**


	7. Courage

**Because I love you, my dear readers, here's another chapter already! Crazy, I know! You're welcome! Kisses!**

* * *

Chapter 7 - Courage

* * *

Adrien finds himself facing the door to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He raises his hand to knock, but drops it again.

"What am I doing here? Marinette can't possibly like me. Felix must have been mistaken, this is stupid." Adrien turned to leave and came face to face with Marinette. She looked like she'd been crying still.

"M-Marinette. Hi. Is everything alright? I, uh, wanted to come and check up on you and make sure you were okay." Adrien noticed a pink blush creeping its way over her lightly freckled cheeks. His heart began to flutter in his chest the way it did when he was close to his Lady. Was it possible to have feelings for Marinette while still being in love with Ladybug? He had been doing a lot of thinking on the way over after Felix's words and was slowly starting to realize that maybe Marinette was more than just a friend to him.

"I'm s-so, so-sorry Adrien! I didn't mean to cause an argument between you t-two! And I'm sorry that I just l-left. I didn't know what to do or say, b-but then I felt bad and tried to go back and apologize but I was to-too nervous and I'm sure you think I'm this awful person now and - "

"Marinette, stop! I could never think you were an awful person. You're basically the most wonderful person I know! You always go out of your way to make your friends smile and you fight for what's right and I'm proud to be your friend! You're amazing, Marinette." Adrien was suddenly aware that he was clasping both of Marinette's hands in his own. He didn't remember grabbing them. A hot flush spread across his cheeks.

Marinette stared wide-eyed at him. He really could get lost in those blue pools. They were vast and deep and mesmerizing. Without warning, those gorgeous orbs shut tight and Marinette's lips crashed into his.

Adrien felt fireworks go off inside his head. His skin felt electric. He reached out to wrap his arms around Marinette, but before he could, she broke free. The moment was gone, far too soon. Disappointment surged through him.

"I-I'm so sorry! I don't know why I did that, i-it's just that no one's ever said such spice things, I mean nice thinks, I mean nice things to me! Ah I'm such an idiot!" Marinette buried her cherry red face into her hands.

Adrien placed both hands on her shoulders. "Hey, it's okay. I didn't mind. Actually, quite the opposite."

"Really?" Marinette peeked disbeievingly through her fingers up at him.

"Really. Marinette, would you like to go out on a date with me?"

Marinette closed her eyes and a giant toothy grin broke out across her face. She sighed blissfully.

"Um, Marinette?" Adrien shook her lightly by the shoulders.

"Not now. Any second I'm going to wake up from this dream and I really, really want to remember this moment."

Adrien chuckled. "Marinette, this isn't a dream. Although it's nice to know that you dream about me!"

Marinette's head whipped up and her eyes snapped open, mortified. "Oh gosh! No I don't! Like that, nothing is, all even, I don't dream! About you! Oh my gosh!" Marinette hid her face once again.

Laughing softly again, Adrien gently removed her hands from her face. "So is that a yes or a no?" Hope filled his features as he waited for her reply.

"Oh my gosh, yes, of course! A hundred times yes! Just please don't laugh when I make a complete fool of myself because it's inevitable and completely unavoidable!"

"You never look like a fool. You're adorable." Adrien smiled at her wistfully before continuing. "So what would you like to do on our date?"

After some more bumbling over words and sweet encouragements and chuckles from Adrien, they finally settled on taking a picnic of cheese, meats and DuPain-Cheng croissants to Le Parc Champ de Mars. Since it was still early in the day, and Adrien was a little worried about Marinette disappearing on him if they waited too long, they packed the picnic there and then and headed to the parc straight away.

The date went really well. Marinette had managed to only spill food on herself once which she thought must be a new record, therefore proclaiming the afternoon a success.

* * *

Adrien crept into the mansion and shut the grand front door silently behind him. He began to ascend the stairs to his room. The instant his foot touched the landing Felix's head shot out of his bedroom. "HEY!"

Adrien nearly leapt out of his skin. "Felix, what the heck! Were you just waiting there for me to get home this entire time?!"

"Yes. No? Maybe. That's not important. How did it go?" Felix arched an eyebrow in Adrien's direction.

"I...don't know that I feel like discussing it with you. I'm still a little displeased with your behavior earlier." Adrien scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest as he turned his body away from his cousin.

"Well, that's fine, if you prefer I went back to ignoring you and pretending to listen, that's preferable to me anyways." Felix shrugged, turning back towards his room.

"Wait! No, I don't want that. I'll talk!" Adrien said quickly, reaching a hand out towards Felix as if to grab him. Then his hand dropped as something else Felix had said registered with him. "Wait, do you really pretend to listen while actually ignoring me?"

"What? Of course not. I would never. So how was your date? Quit changing the subject!" Felix evaded.

"Well you're one to talk." Adrien huffed. After some momentary pouting, he began to recount the days events for Felix.

"It was definitely really awkward at first because she's _so painfully shy_ and her nerves cause her to stutter, which makes it a little difficult to hold conversations with her, but after a while she relaxed and was more comfortable around me and it was just like something I never realized I wanted until it was happening. I've always wanted to be able to spend more time with Marinette and learn more about her, without her stammering getting in the way and today that finally happened. It's really great to see her open up to me more. Even though we called it a date, it really was just a nice day spent with my very best friend. It couldn't have gone better."

"Did you kiss her?" Felix asked, waggling his eyebrows, summoning his best Cat Noir impression.

"I'm not answering that!" Adrien countered, once again crossing his arms. "A gentleman never kisses and tells!"

"Well that basically confirms it. Aren't you glad you listened to me now?" Felix goaded.

Adrien rolled his eyes, more playful then annoyed. "Yes, Felix. Thank you for talking me into it. I didn't realize how much spending time with Marinette just feels...right." Adrien's gaze became fuzzy and distant. Felix looked in the direction he was staring but didn't see anything tangible. He looked back at Adrien again and for a fraction of a second, he would swear he saw that pink sparkly mirage in the air again. What the hell was that? He cleared his throat, jerking Adrien from his reverie.

"I think I might ask her out again. Is tomorrow too soon?"

* * *

 **Hope you guys are enjoying this fic so far. We are very near the end, but I've still got a couple more exciting ideas to share with you! Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up tomorrow as it is already written and just awaiting review. As always, thanks for reading!**


	8. Revealed (Again)

It had been 2 months since Felix came to stay at the Agreste estate. His summer with Adrien was nearly over. After their first date, Marinette and Adrien had a second and a third, and a tenth before officially becoming a couple.

Felix was laying across Adrien's floor, fiddling with a wooden puzzle ball, while Adrien laid on his back on his couch, with Marinette curled against his chest. He drew circles along her back, aimlessly, while she held his hand in hers, examining his bruised knuckles.

Felix dropped his hands in front of him, still clutching the puzzle ball and looked towards Marinette and Adrien. After a minute of silence, Adrien looked over at his cousin to see him still staring at them. He quirked an eyebrow at his cousin in a silent question.

"I think that, for me, the absolute best part of all this is that you two could have been dating for basically forever if you weren't both gigantic imbeciles," Felix said with a small, sly grin.

"Felix, what are you talking about?" Adrien asked rolling his eyes, annoyed that his cousin was there, intruding on his precious alone time with his princess.

"I just mean because you've both been rejecting feelings for the other because you were too in love with their alter-egos," Felix said bluntly.

"Wait what?!" Marinette and Adrien shot up in unison, staring hard at Felix. He had both Marinette and Adrien's full attention now.

He gave a mildly annoyed sigh. Clearly he had to spell it out for them.

"What I'm saying is that Adrien was ignoring his obvious feelings for Marinette because of his love for Ladybug, and on the other hand, Marinette was brushing aside Cat Noir's flirtations with Ladybug because of her love for Adrien. It's hilarious!" Felix roared with laughter. He opened his eyes and saw both of them staring at him pale and wide eyed as if they'd just seen a ghost.

"Oh yeah, uh surprise? Or, spoiler alert or whatever. Guess I was supposed to lead with that."

The resulting explosion after he'd dropped that bombshell was too much for Felix to handle, so he excused himself from the room to let them figure that out in private.

He went back into his room, that had become his home over the past two months. He absentmindedly fiddled with his cat head ring as he peered out the window. He looked down at his ring, tracing the emerald gem eyes, before running his thumb up to the ruby on the cat's forehead. He let out a heavy sigh and returned his gaze to the window.

 _'I really wish I didn't have to go back home in two weeks. I forgot how nice it was to have someone around that I could talk to. Even if I am mostly listening while Adrien talks, it's nice not being alone. I'm not ready to go back to that house. To that stifling atmosphere. To pretend like everything is normal.'_

For what felt like the thousandth time, Felix began organizing and tidying the few belongings he had brought with him. He felt more calm when everything was in exact order. He needed to calm down or he feared he might have a panic attack.

'I'm glad I was able to help Adrien find happiness. He's a good kid, he doesn't deserve the emotional exile his father has put him into over his grief for Emilie.'

Felix was suddenly aware that the room was darkening at an alarming pace. He glanced down at his watch the see that it was already nearing 9:30PM. He squared his shoulders and let his sight trail down his arm to his ring once more, watching the eyes light up bright green, the way they did every night. He heaved a sigh and crossed over to the other side of the room to lock the door. Then he sunk to the floor to await the inevitable.

* * *

 **AN: Oooh, what is Felix's secret? What is this inevitable? Why is his ring glowing? Tune in next time to find out!**

 **P.S. I am so sorry this chapter is so short, but I was happy with it the way it was and although I tried to add more, I didn't want pointless filler and this break made more sense between this and the next chapter, which is in the works now and I hope to finish it tonight, but with Christmas coming it might not be posted until after. Santa has a lot of work to do tomorrow night for 3 sweet little children! ;3**


	9. Cursed

**No you aren't dreaming. This REALLY is a new chapter of NatL after a ten month hiatus! Gosh, has it really been THAT long? Sorry guys =X**

* * *

Felix felt smaller. At this point he barely thought anything of it. He was so used to it that it no longer mattered. After a few seconds, he stretched out, fully shifted. He leapt up onto the windowsill and pressed gently on the glass pane, opening it a few inches. He squeezed his way through the opening and began walking alongside the decorative trim around the outside of the house, towards Adrien's room. He was curious to know what the outcome of his news had been and to see how they were coping. He quickly and silently crept along the ledge and slowly peered into Adrien's window.

What he saw was rather comical from the outside. There was much arm flailing and he couldn't really tell if they were angry or excited. They both had flushed faces, but otherwise seemed to be alright. He knew they'd figure it out. They were so made for each other it was disgusting. He watched them for a moment more before becoming bored and wandering away.

He pounced onto a lower portion of the roof and began slinking lazily through the night. He needed to stay focused. He didn't have much time. His stint in Paris was rapidly drawing to a close and he still hadn't found her yet. He knew she was here, somewhere, he'd been getting close and he could tell. He just didn't know where else to look.

He had been extremely disappointed to find out it wasn't Marinette. He was ready to be rid of this curse and return to normalcy. He still couldn't figure out why he'd been so drawn to Marinette when she wasn't the Cursebreaker, but it didn't matter much anymore.

Movement from the corner of his eye captured his attention, startling him from his thoughts, and he unwillingly followed it. He slunk along, creeping after his prey. Within moments, he was wrestling with a fat mouse, toying with it. He was a fang's breadth away from biting its head off, when he released it and shook his head feverishly.

'Euck. Blast this stupid curse!' he thought to himself. He shuddered violently as he thought about other times when he hadn't had the willpower to stop himself. 'Revolting. The sooner I'm rid of this form, the better.'

He continued on his way, looking for anything that could indicate he was close to her. Wandering aimlessly, he began to grow restless. How could he possibly find her? He didn't have much to go on, and what he did know didn't make much sense. Not to mention Paris was so vast. He could search a lifetime for one single person here and still never locate them.

He slumped down on a window ledge, sleek, black fur glistening in the moonlight. He heaved a sigh that came out as a grunted mewl.

'I should just give up now,' he thought to himself. 'I've been living with this curse for as long as I can remember. My parents could care less...its my father's fault that I am this way. I don't know why I would have better luck here then I did back home. Sure, Paris is bigger, but that hardly seems to be a plus anymore.'

Felix let his golden-green eyes slip closed. Maybe he'd just rest here until dawn. What did it matter now anyways?

Felix didn't know how long he laid there. A light breeze had kicked up, ruffling his fur and sending a slight chill up his spine. His sensitive ears pricked as he picked up on a faint sound. Slowly, he raised himself up, stretching and yawning wide, white fangs glistening in the moonlight. After shaking himself awake some more, he ambled towards the sound, pointed ears honing in on the noise. As he grew closer, a beautiful melody started to take shape. Softly, forlornly, someone was singing to the night.

Felix made a sharp right at a rooftop trellis and found himself bathed in a shaft of lamplight. Peering up, squinting against the sudden brightness, a shape swam into his field of vision as his pupils adjusted. The position of the lamp in the room kept the figure shrouded in shadow, but he could tell the figure was female and also the source of the singing.

Mystery solved, Felix turned to leave, curiosity satiated. Suddenly the girl's words rang out clearly in the dead of night, like a bell. The air hung still and heavy around him. She was singing in Japanese, not French, and something she said caught his attention. Suddenly he was grateful to his parents for forcing him to take multiple language courses for the past five years. Though he couldn't decipher every single word, he got the gist of her message.

And he knew she was singing to him.

Her song was about being trapped in a body that wasn't hers, searching for the one that could release her from her prison, to break the shell of her cursed form.

The slits of Felix's eyes blew wide into large round pupils surrounded by a sliver of gold. Could it really be her? Had he found the one he'd been searching for for so long?

He acted without thinking. He had to see her face. Had to know. His legs acted on their own and before he knew it, he'd leapt up onto her windowsill.

Large blue eyes came into focus from the shadows, he faintly registered a soft _oh_ as the girl started at the sound.

Green-gold locked onto sapphire.

Slowly, the rest of her face came into focus. Wearing an expression of complete surprise, eyes wide, cheeks lightly dusted pink, tiny adorable nose, long dark pigtails. Truth be told, she didn't look entirely different from Marinette. But she was so. much. cuter.

He began to take in the rest of her features. She was incredibly petite, wearing a collared pajama set in black with a wide white band running down the center and done up with black buttons.

She blinked once. Twice. Then suddenly let out the most adorable squeal and grabbed Felix into a tight hug. "Oh my goodness, aren't you just the cutest little kitty in the whole wide world!?" Pulling him even closer into her chest, she cooed, "So sweet!"

If Felix had cheeks, he knew they'd be bright red right now. The girl quickly pulled him back and held him at arms length, taking him in.

"Your eyes are just the prettiest shade of green with just a touch of gold! Oh you must be so cold out here! What are you doing outside all alone? And I'm sure you're starving! I can get you something to eat, but you have to promise to wait right here! I can't take you downstairs with me or someone might see you and make me put you back out!"

Felix gazed after the girl as she slipped out of the room and silently shut the door behind her. He knew she was coming right back, but he felt panicked the instant the door clicked closed.

He'd finally found her, there was no mistaking it. And she was more perfect than he could ever have imagined. The intense connection he already felt for her was overwhelming and frankly downright ridiculous. Felix was much too logical of a person to buy into the falsehoods of true love, destiny, soul mates, love at first sight: all that nonsensical garbage. He chalked it up to a magical pull he must be feeling instead, because she was the one he needed to break the curse.

After what felt like an agonizing eternity, the girl returned with a small bowl of canned tuna and eel sashimi.

"I hope this is alright! It's the best I could find," the girl said softly, sweetly, placing the dish in front of him.

He dove in without hesitation, hating himself a little more for not being able to resist.

"Oh my, you were hungry!" the girl giggled. Felix had finished the fish almost as quickly as she had placed it before him. He raised one paw and began methodically cleaning his fur.

"I'm Bridgette," the girl spoke again after several minutes of silence, causing Felix to stop and gaze into her eyes. "I've always wanted a kitty, but my parents have always said no. I wonder how they'll react when I tell them you let yourself in! Maybe that will change their minds!" she mused.

That sat a few minutes more in companionable silence, Bridgette stroking from the top of Felix's head down his back, before repeating the motion. A loud, intense purr broke out from the small feline, causing Felix's eyes to widen in surprise. He'd never done _that_ before. Bridgette giggled and then spoke again.

"I should really get some sleep...you're welcome to sleep in my bed with me if you want to!" she beamed at him and he felt like he might just implode.

'This girl is so beautiful, I seriously cannot handle this! What is wrong with me?!' Felix thought to himself. As he watched the girl snuggle down into her sheets, he realized just how tired he truly was. It felt like he hadn't gotten a good night's rest in years. He was constantly prowling at night to find the cure for his curse and passing out somewhere along the way. Her bed was mighty inviting. As he stared at her, Felix devised a plan. He would simply go to sleep with her as a cat, then in the morning when he was back to his normal self, he could quickly explain himself and get her to kiss him and then he could be on his way, simple as that.

Felix slowly padded across her comforter and curled up on top of her arms, directly beneath her face. She cracked her eyes open slightly and smiled at him, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight kitty!"

She quickly dropped off into slumber and Felix felt her sweet, minty breath tickle his sensitive hairs and whiskers. The sensation was peculiar, overly-stimulating in a way, but at the same time not unpleasant. A deep purr rumbled from his chest. He smiled and allowed his eyes to slip shut, anxious for the morning and the end of his curse, once and for all.

* * *

Dawn breaks, bright and cheery, all buzzing bees and chirping birds and rumbling cars.

'Curse this noise,' Felix thinks groggily.

He pulls the pillow over his head in a futile attempt to block the offensive sounds.

But something doesn't feel quite right.

The sounds are slightly different.

The smell is definitely different.

This pillow feels different.

Felix sits bolt upright, eyes bulging, wildly looking around the room.

'Where am I?!' His thoughts race frantically in his mind for a moment before he inhales deeply to calm himself down and begins examining objects in the room in full detail.

Clearly he is in a teenage girl's bedroom.

That's alarming.

He can't remember how he got here or _why_ he's here.

Vaguely, fuzzy remnants of memories begin to come back to him.

He followed singing. A girl took him in.

What was her name again?

What did she look like?

The room smelled faintly of peppermint and sushi. He wracked his brain for clues but couldn't come up with anything more. He felt an overwhelming wave of loss but he couldn't comprehend why.

He registers that the room is empty. Now is probably a good time to leave before someone comes in asking questions.

He climbs onto the windowsill and scouts for an escape route. Feeling heavy with disappointment, he takes one last glance around the room, hoping to see anything to trigger his memory. As he turns to leave, his gaze falls on a lone ladybug sitting on the windowsill. He carefully steps over it and climbs out onto the roof and begins to shimmy down the gutter into the alley below. He takes a mental picture of her building with intentions to come investigate later in the day.

Glancing around the street, he realizes he is in an unfamiliar area of the city. He hails a nearby cab and directs the driver to the Agreste estate.

Brooding through his vague memories, he tries to puzzle together what might have happened.

Blast this stupid curse! Why couldn't he just remember?!

Resigned, he decides he'll just have to be patient until that evening when it would all come back to him.

* * *

 **Kudos to mayuralover for figuring out Felix's secret!**

 **Only one more chapter left! Don't fret though, I'm already plotting a sequel =3**


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